The University of California, Irvine is pleased to present ongoing work and collaborative projects with universities and non-governmental groups in Africa. These engagements represent a wide range of initiatives in the areas of fine arts, literature, finance, social media, religion, and social activism. These initiatives share a guiding philosophy of mutuality: we seek to engage, learn, and produce joint research, policy, and artistic endeavors. We are also working to enrich ties between universities, institutions and groups across our two continents. Participants include faculty from the University of Ghana-Legon, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Kenyatta University, and Université Cheikh Anta Diop, as well as faculty from UCI, other UC and North American campuses, and local and transnational NGO representatives.

"UCI and Africa: Expanding Engagements, Ongoing Dialogues"
Two-day conference

December 6-7, 2012
8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
UCI Student Center, Pacific Ballroom C and Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Thursday, Dec. 6
Pacific Ballroom C, Student Center

10:30 a.m.  Coffee & Refreshments
11:00 a.m.  Welcome: Cecelia Lynch, Director, International Studies | Opening Address: Michael Drake, Chancellor, UC Irvine
11:30 a.m.  Honoring the Work of Ngugi wa Thiong’o
1:15 p.m.  Lunch (provided), Guest Speaker Thomas Parham (Vice Chancellor Student Affairs)
2:30 p.m.  Charity and/or Justice? The CIHA Blog takes the Great Humanitarian Debate to the Next Level
4:15 p.m.  Coffee Break
5:00 p.m.  International Studies Public Forum: “Fighting Words!: Protest and Popular Culture in Africa” (Held in SSPA 1100)

Friday, Dec. 7
Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway 1517

8:30 a.m.  Coffee & Refreshments
9:00 a.m.  NGOs and Development
10:30 a.m.  Coffee Break
10:45 a.m.  NGOs, Consortia, and Sharing Virtual and Practical Knowledge
12:15 p.m.  Lunch (provided) with undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty | Guest Speaker Marcella Khelif (The Study Abroad Center, UCI)
1:30 p.m.  Collaborative Conversations: Exploring Artistic Connections between Ghana and Africa-America
3:00 p.m.  Coffee Break
3:15 p.m.  Mobile Money Transformations in Africa: An IMTFI Roundtable
4:45 p.m.  Conference Wrap-Up and Next Steps in Collaborations

The conference is sponsored by the UCI International Studies Program and Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies, with support from the Office of the Chancellor, Office of the Vice Chancellor Student Affairs, School of Social Sciences, Division of Undergraduate Education, Education Abroad Program, and Institute for Money, Technology, and Financial Inclusion (IMTFI) as well as support from the Henry R. Luce Initiative on Religion and International Affairs.

This conference is free and open to the public. To register, please go to http://uciandafricaconference2012.eventbrite.com.

For questions, please contact Tanya Schwarz, tschwarz@uci.edu.